Hanging Onto the Light
by EvilMindedZ
Summary: The Ghost receives a distress call from someone on a Breaker ship containing 40 kidnapped children and Ezra and Sabine are sent in alone, Ezra without a weapon. When the mission is compromised, the Jedi in training sends Sabine to get reinforcements after shes wounded but at what cost? How long can Ezra hang on when the Empire keeps pushing him to the Dark side? Only time will tell
1. Distress Call

Ezra's lungs gave up what little air they had as he was slammed onto his back. For the seventeenth time in an hour. The sun beat relentlessly on the skin that it could find, turning his and Kanans' heads varying shades of pink, their wool clothes like molten on their already overheated skin. There were no clouds. Not on Tatooine. The wind slapped bits of dust onto their faces and hands.

Ezra sighed, giving a shake of his head. "I can't do this!" He snapped at Kanan.

Kanan extended his hand to his padawan. "Yes you can. Never stop trying. You'll get it. Now stop complaining and grab on. You've still got twenty minutes to go." He hauled the boy up, knowing that at this point he wasn't going to grab on.

"Says you." Ezra turned his face away as he talked, glaring at the ground.

"Says _me,_ your master. Why are you so crabby today?"

"I'm _not_."

"Yes you are. Tell me why." Kanan ducked his head, trying to meet the boy's eyes, but his padawan wouldn't look at him.

"You keep pushing me to do things I can't do!" Ezra snapped, taking a couple of steps away from Kanan.

"I'm your master. Of course I'm going to push you. You need to _focus_ on this, whatever's going on, you can't let it beat you down. And of course you don't know this stuff yet, I'm just teaching you. It's called learning, Ezra."

"It's called _failing,_ Kanan. How can you be sure I haven't capped out, huh?"

"Ezra-"

" _What."_

Now worried, Kanan turned off his lightsaber. "Ezra, tell me, what's going on, what's got you so mad?"

"Would you just lay off, Kanan. Just leave me alone."

The Jedi narrowed his eyes in concern for his padawan, touching his shoulder.

Erza jerked away. "I mean it."

Kanan reached out with the Force, trying to put reassurance, calm, into it. Ezra slapped it away.

 _Enough! Leave me alone! There's nothing wrong I'm just in a bad mood!_ The Force hit the Jedi hard, as if the boy had physically punched him.

Kanan sighed, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. "Okay, okay. I'll leave you alone. Ezra, you know you can talk to me if something's going on, right?"

"I know. Now just go."

"Did I say something to offend you Ezra?" Kanan was fully worried now. He tried tapping into the Force again, but got nothing. The boy had blocked him off.

"No, you didn't."

Despite his irritation, Kanan could tell that his padawan was being serious. "Something with Hera maybe?" He guessed.

"No," was all he said, still staring off into space.

"Okay, practice is over early today. Go and get something to eat, kid."

"Fine, if you won't stop bugging me about it."

"I won't, actually."

" _Alright_ , Kanan." Ezra stormed onto the _Ghost_.

Kanan looked at the boy go inside, and then stared at the spot his head used to be.

 _I wonder what's going on with him. The Force knows something is wrong, too._ Kanan glanced to his left, and happened to notice the boy had forgotten his saber. Frowning, he stooped and picked it up, reminding himself to give it back to his padawan as soon as he saw him.

 _Oh Ezra, please tell me what's wrong._ He silently pleaded, knowing that if he opened his mouth or not to his concerns, it wouldn't be heard just the same.

He thought back, wondering if he'd lost track of the days and it was an eventful day in Ezra's life, but nothing struck his memory. It wasn't Empire Day, it wasn't the anniversary of his parents deaths.

Kanan heard Chopper nearing the ramp, his bleeping audible and echoing from inside the metal beast, bouncing around before finding itself to empty air. It was grating to hear when he was so worried. Chopper flew down the _Ghost's_ ramp, headed at full speed to Kanan. A mess of warbles and beeps, pulling him from his thoughts and landing him in the present.

"Whoa, Chopper, slow down." All he could make out was 'Hera' and 'Empire' and 'distress'.

The Jedi couldn't tell if the machine was worried or excited.

"Chopper!" Kanan snapped, authority flooding his voice. "Tell me what's going on. _Slower_ this time." he added impatiently.

 _Hera got a distress call from a Breaker ship and the comm said there were up to 40 children on board captured all captured going to be imprisoned, prisoners of the Empire! Real chance to take them down!_

Kanan's excitement rose. It was the first break they'd had in months. He didn't let himself get carried away though. Hope had slipped through his fingertips, burst around him on so many occasions, and now this was a real chance to _win,_ to get the upper hand.

Lying in bed so many nights, sleepless, knowing they were on the losing side of a battle with the weight of his family—his _crew—_ pressing down on him. He couldn't get close to them. He couldn't get close to them and lose them to something he could have prevented. Not his family— _crew._ He reminded himself again.

This was a real chance to gain ground, and it was one more step to keeping his crew close.

The Force whispered to him again not to give up, that they were gaining, that the people needed him, needed _them_ to fight for them, just as it had for those long months. He reached out, and could almost feel the fear those children had, the pain, the hopelessness. Just like what he had felt during the Cl—he wouldn't even let himself think it.

Chopper beeped and the Jedi blinked, his attention drawn back to the hysterical hunk of metal. _Hera! Meeting! All crew, now!_

"Okay, okay, I'm heading up there now. Calm down. I barely understand you as it is." Kanan walked up to the ramp, tripping over Chopper as he ducked in front of him in an effort to get to the piloting quarters first. He shook his head and stepped onto the _Ghost._

As he walked to the piloting helm, he took a breath, unable to stop himself from connecting to some of the children, unable to bear leaving them alone. If he couldn't be with them in person, the Force would have to do. Only a handful of kids who had been captured were Force-sensitive. He reached out to the one the Force said was the most terrified.

A little girl, maybe seven or eight.

 _Just hang on sweetheart._

Hearing his voice brought more terror to her. He sent out waves of calm and hope, and felt her body relax slightly.

He put all he had into calming her. _You're going to be okay. You and everyone on that ship. We're coming for you kid, you aren't alone. Just hang in there. People are coming for you. You don't have to be afraid of anything. We're gonna get you home. You're going to see your mommy and daddy again. I promise._

Feeling that she was calm enough to sleep without nightmares, he pushed peaceful darkness through the Force, and sensed her fall asleep.

Realizing he'd stopped walking in the middle of the corridor, he shook his head and kept going, ramming his elbow into a doorway. "Oww!" He muttered.

Up ahead he could see the piloting chamber, Hera's back and ears, fingers flying over something invisible to him. He could make out Sabine, already geared up for a mission. Ezra's boots and overstuffed pants could be seen as he sat on the alcove. HIS alcove.

"Hera." Kanan said.

She turned her head to look at him. "I see Chopper found you."

"Yeah, he was in a panic, or, he was excited. I couldn't tell. I hear we got a distress call from a Breaker ship. Those poor kids. Do we know the layout of the thing?"

"Yup." Sabine said, stepping away from the wall and tapping a button on the table, releasing a hologram into the air. She spun it. "Here's the airlock chamber, Hera and I were thinking Ezra and I could go in there-"

"Whoa! Hold up!" Kanan snapped. "What makes you think that you and Ezra are going in there _alone?_ "

Hera kept her voice even. She was used to Kanan's outbursts, especially when it came to the crew. "Because Sabine and Ezra are children-" Kanan cut her off again.

"Exactly! They're children!"

"Ezra is a Jedi in training, Kanan. And need I remind you I'm not the one who's been captured over a dozen times." Sabine replied flatly.

Ezra jumped in. "Exactly. We can handle it. It's not like this is our first mission. You don't have to baby us _all_ the time."

"Well I'm not just going to let you go in there alone and risk your necks!"

"Kanan you do it all the time! And we're _not_ going to be alone!"

Hera spoke up. "We're going to cloaking the ship. I got the codes for it. Once Ezra and Sabine get aboard, we'll stay connected to it and load when their mission is complete."

"We've gotta get the kids out of there as fast as possible. It'll take us about a day and a half to reach the nearest way-station. Once the kids are safely on board, we'll blow up the ship, then fly ahead still cloaked and blow up the way-station."

"How are we going to do that?" Kanan asked, his arms crossing.

"Easy!" Sabine chirped. "A little spray paint here, a little grenade in the exhaust tanks, viola."

"You make it sound so easy." The Jedi muttered.

Ezra rolled his eyes. "That's because it is."

Kanan looked at the boy, who now had his helmet tucked under his arm. "What are you two going to do if things go south? What will your warning be?"

Hera spoke up. "They're going to flicker the lights of the room they're going to be in if something goes wrong. We'll see it on the hologram if they do."

"But nothing _will_ go wrong." Ezra said, a hint of a smile playing at his lips, the first Kanan had seen all day.

"Okay, when are we going to get there?" He asked, giving up.

"In the next couple of minutes. I set course as soon as you walked onto the ship."

"Oh," was all he said. He shifted.

"Those poor kids."

"Some of them aren't doing well." Hera said. "I can feel it."

"How bad are they injured?" Kanan stood straighter. The one thing he couldn't endure was the harm, the terror of a child. Especially after Ezra had come into his life. He wished that he could be part of the mission not only for the safety of his padawan but to save the children who had been sucked into this mess, the mess that he— _NO!_ Kanan thought to himself fiercely. It wasn't his fault.

But the least Hera could have let done was let him help.

The woman sensed his hostility and worry. "You'll be the first through the door if things go south, and you'll be the first to treat those children, to hold their hands, to assure them that they're going to be okay."

"No, Ezra and Sabine will, on the second part."

"You'll still be there, Kanan. You'll still be a bigger comfort than they will be because you're an adult. Ezra and Sabine are children just like them."

Kanan nodded, dizzy. "Okay, okay. Just prep the med droids for their arrival."

Hera gave a nod. "I will. They're all going to make it out alive."

"They'd better." Was all the Jedi said.

Sabine looked around them. "This is it."

Ezra looked at her. "Come on, we'll be done before you know it." He looked at Kanan and nodded.

"May the Force be with you."

"I'll be fine. You've taught me great."

Sabine unlocked the door and it opened into the loading dock. Alarms hadn't sounded, so that was a good sign. Hera's codes had worked, as they always did. It did nothing to ease the foreboding the Force was pressing on him.

Sabine ran through, ducking out of sight without looking back, Ezra taking in her wake. He turned around and gave his master a wave, another small smile pressing around his lips. One of apology, one of eagerness and concern.

Kanan gave him a reassuring nod, and his so— _padawan!-_ he shouted at himself, nodded back. He could do this, and he would. The Force gave him confidence, as if he weren't cocky enough before he'd discovered it.

The Force screamed a warning at him, telling him it wasn't safe for his padawan, that he needed to go in after, louder than usual, more desperate. He gave a step to follow but before he could the hydraulics kicked in, hissing in protest and slamming the door shut, sealing them in. It could only be opened from the inside now, and Sabine was the only one with the codes.

Kanan looked down at his hands, and his dread doubled. In one, his lightsaber. In the other, Ezra's. His hands tightened around both of them.

No backup, no weapons, no contact. And he was too late to do anything.

The Force yelled out one final warning, making his ears ring with the echo, before he forced himself to connect to his padawan. Confidence, bordering on cockiness, as he always had, worry for himself and Sabine and the children, hatred for the Empire.

"Stay safe, kid." Kanan said, the words only bouncing off the sheet of metal. His words were as useless as he was now.


	2. Irritation and Worry

****Hi guys! I'm back to torture you some more! Shout out to** Rebels-lover **,** Silver's Dream100 **, and** Sakura245 **for reviewing!****

Metal floors, metal walls, metal ceiling, white lights throwing painful glares off the shine. It was almost blinding, the only thing to separate one thing from the other was the change in textures and the doors on either side of the halls to mark out every fifty feet.

The doors had no handles, a handprint pad stationed outside of each one, just as steel and just as solid as everything else.

Ezra could almost tell what Sabine was thinking about: What this place would look like as the metal melted, buckling and dripping down to its lower levels as it slowly came apart, the bucket heads thrown out of the ship and choking on their own dying air as they were pushed further out by flame and smoke, multiple explosions going off, the way station a mile away none the wiser, the children safely on board the _Ghost._

Ezra caught sight of her smile and could all but tell she had been envisioning it. She was on another sadist streak. It was helpful on a mission, although it could make her reckless. He stiffened in annoyance, senses heightening as he realized he would have to look out for her, and probably pull her to safety if- _when_ knowing her-she got herself into trouble.

Something pulled his attention attention away from her face. Movement to this right. He glanced at it to see his darkened, warped reflection, the kind that only showed outlined, faded shapes. Ezra looked ahead at Sabine and noticed she was gripping her grenade tightly.

"Put that away." He snapped.

Sabine threw a backwards glance at him. "Why?"

Anger seeped into his voice as he spoke. "Because we're supposed to be _un-der-co-ver_ , you idiot!"

The Mandalorian turned around fully, looking him dead in the eye. "Do you want this grenade to explode in your face?" She demanded, shoving him backwards into the wall.

His helmet clunked dully against the metal. "N-oo." His voice wavered and he forced his anger down like Kanan had taught him. The one thing he didn't want was to make the girl angry at _him_. The best that would come of that would be a painted room. The worst… Ezra didn't want to think about where her next grenade might wind up.

"Good. Now whatever the hell's gotten into you snap it outta you. We're on a _mission._ If you're so focused on not getting caught you could at least take that stupid helmet off."

"It's not stu-" He was about to protest before Sabine's hand tightened around her grenade.

Wordlessly she waved it in his face before stuffing it in her jacket.

"Take it, _off_." She snarled, sounding surprisingly like Hera.

"Okay, okay." He muttered, not completely willing to part with his helmet. "Where do you suggest I _put_ it then?"

"In a closet or something? I don't know, you brought the thing, you figure it out."  
"Are you even looking around? How am I supposed to get it in a closet when all of the doors are handprint locked?"

"Like I said, you figure it out! Ezra we're on a _mission_. I can't believe we're even fighting about this!"

"Why don't you take _yours_ off then?"

Without a word Sabine slipped it off her head, taking a small, flat piece of metal out.

"What's that?"

"The comm you idiot. How else do you expect us to stay in contact with the _Ghost_?"

"I've got mine in my shirt."

"Yeah and I need mine." Sabine shook her head, like she was trying to rid her mind of thoughts to harm him. As she did so she slipped the piece of metal into her pocket.

Ezra sighed. It was no use getting his partner mad right as the mission was starting. "I'm sorry. Let's just find these kids and get out of here."

Sabine's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Helmet." Her voice was so flat it fell in the air, the letters solid hunks promising something much worse than a grenade in certain areas if they were met unheeded.

Ezra slipped it off his head and looked around, finally deciding to put it in the corridor they had come out of. He walked out of it. "Better?"

"Better. Now come on." She turned away from him and lobbed her helmet to where Ezra had left his. It landed with a loud clang.

"Are you _trying_ to get us caught?" he hissed.

"I'm the one who took mine _off_ without prompting. No one heard us anyways."

"Enough with the helmet!" Ezra snapped.

Shaking her head, the Mandalorian took off in a run, ignoring the guffawing blue haired boy behind her.

"Stop!" he yelled.

Sabine rolled her eyes and turned around. "What now kid?"

"Where are we headed?"

"To the room with the most bucketheads in front of it. Where do you think?" Sabine started running again as he answered.  
"Our deaths." Ezra replied, chasing after her. She ignored him.

"How do you even know where you're going!"

"I memorized the holomap of the place- _and_ where the most guards were. Now stop questioning me. This is why mom put me in charge!"

"Wait, she put _you_ in charge?"

 _She's gonna hear about this when I get back on the ship._

"Why do you think she and I made the plan." Sabine mocked over her shoulder. She was a good twenty paces ahead of the boy.

Ezra had to put in an extra push to pull even with her.

 _She's fast for a girl._ He thought. Forgetting that he was linked to the Force, he was startled when Kanan responded.

 _You're slow for a boy. Stay focused, kid._

 _I am._

 _Be careful, you don't have your lightsaber with you._

Kanan felt a wave of irritation, underscored with concern.

Ezra? Irritated?

The master's own wave of concern drove into the Force. _Kid, we've been unarmed before._ I _forgot to give it to you. Just stay safe._

"So why are we running to about half a dozen troopers?"

"We find the room the troopers are guarding, the kids will be in there. We find the kids, the faster we can start our cover."

"Okay." Ezra took another deep breath.

Kanan was in the Force. The boy could feel him, watching out for him, giving him assurance he was capable of pulling it off. Always watching out for him.

 _Coddling you._ The voice was familiar.

Ezra grit his teeth against it.

 _Doesn't trust you._

Ezra knew that Kanan felt him grow frustrated, because he felt a wave of calm ripple through the Force, directed at him.

He blew out a breath.

He was strong, and smart, and he could do this.

 _They're going to die because of you._

 _Leave me alone!_ He shouted at the voice, trying to push the voice from his head. He wasn't going to let anyone compromise this mission. Not Sabine, not himself, not the voice in his head that he couldn't tell was conscious or through the Force.

 _Ezra?_ It was Kanan's voice. He didn't need to sound concerned for ripples of worry to seep into the Force.

The boy didn't respond to his master. He only looked ahead at Sabine. They had a mission to complete. He couldn't let his worries and frustrations cloud the his concentration any more.

 _Ezra, what's going on?_

Ezra ignored him again, forcing him from his mind, all the voices, before shutting his mind. It wasn't something he often did, and immediately Kanan's increasing worry washed over him, hitting him stronger than expected.

The padawan still didn't open his mind.

Kanan could feel the boy close his mind to him, and a bolt of worry turned his muscles to stone, squeezing his lungs until the only stale air he could get came in small huffs. He could feel the wave of worry he sent to his padawan, who still didn't answer.

 _Ezra?_ He tried.

No response.

 _Ezra!_

Nothing.

 _Kid, answer me!_ More waves of worry peeled off of him into the Force.

This wasn't like him.

In a moment of insanity he thought that Ezra had been injured, or killed, or injected with a Force inhibitor.

He snapped his head back and forth, once, twice. _No._ He thought to himself, sinking into his mind to calm himself. _No. Ezra is okay. There's no panic in the Force._

"He's fine." He deadpanned.

Hera looked over at him. "What's the matter love?"

"Ezra's been acting strange and this is just worrying. He shut me out."

Hera's eyes narrowed in confusion and concern. "Start from the beginning."

"Ever since you landed on Tatooine, the first night he had a nightmare. It wasn't anything bad, I was able to calm him down pretty quick through the Force, put him back to sleep. And even training with him the next morning was fine, he just seemed distracted, tired maybe. I brushed it off because it wasn't a big deal. And then the time time we trained, two days later, he was irritated at me whenever I tried to give him tips or bested him. He had another nightmare that night but instead of letting me calm him down he just blocked me out again. When we were in the market the next day he would barely look at me, let alone talk. We were too busy yesterday helping the market so we didn't train, but then this morning during training he just seemed so off, and now…" Kanan trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Hera picked up his train of thought. She knew him well enough by now. "Now he's shut you out again, and on a mission."

"And it's more than that. I can't explain it. It's like someone's trying to use the Force against him or something."

Hera sat up straighter. "What?"

"It's like someone is trying to compromise him. When I was connected with Ezra, when his irritation peaked, it was like I could feel, someone else."

Hera didn't have much knowledge of the Force, but she knew enough to understand why Kanan was so worried. She forced her own worry back. "Ezra is strong willed, and confident. He's close enough to you to know that whoever is trying to get to him is wrong."

"But what if they're already too deep into his mind? His constant irritation, whenever I try to help him…"

"He's still your padawan. He still knows you only want the best for him. Send him confidence and love. He might not be letting you in right now but you two are still connected." Hera instructed, forcing her voice to be void of concern. All she needed to do was watch the holomap. She watched as the two dots that were the youngest of her crew as they ran through the building.

"All right." Kanan sighed, closing his eyes. Instead of focusing on his worry, on the anger he held for whoever was trying to get to Ezra, he focused on how much care and hope he had for the boy.

He sent out wave after wave of calm, of pride, of confidence, of bravery, of strength, of hope. He went on for a minute, two, three, before his padawan finally responded, letting a wave of relief and gratitude hit his master.

Kanan smiled. It was all he had needed.

He reached out again to Ezra, who responded this time.

 _Hi…_ The voice was sheepish.

 _Whatever's going on, whoever's trying to break you,_ we're _stronger. Just remember that._

 _What if I fail them._ Ezra blurted. Kanan could feel the anxiety creep back into the Force, throwing it into turmoil.

We _won't._ _Stop with this_ I _stuff, kid. We're in this together._ You _won't fail them. If something happens to them… it's on all of us._

Ezra could hear his master's voice drop in pitch, slowing down as worry crept in.

 _I know how much you care about the kids._ We _won't fail them. We'll get them back…_

 _Just don't give in. Ever, kid. I'll always be here. Go into your mind to hide from your anger if you have to._

Kanan felt a burst of pain in his nose.

"Oww!" _What just happened kid?_

There was silence on the other end for a moment, and Kanan felt a spark of worry that he'd been knocked out or shut himself off again, but it quickly was doused when he realized Ezra's feeling of embarrassment and annoyance, and Hera's cluck of worry.

 _I ran into a wall because you were distracting me… Sabine is laughing at me…_

Kanan glanced over at the holomap. They were nearly at the room.

 _You're almost there. If I sense you're getting angry again I'm sending you more-_ Kanan cut himself off as Ezra shut his mind.

The Jedi sighed. When the boy got back he'd be having a serious conversation with him about not letting people darken his feelings, and receiving help.

Ezra was so engrossed with talking to Kanan he forgot to look where he was going. Hearing Sabine already around the corner, he thought about turning. _Just don't give in. Ever, kid._

Pain exploded in his nose before numbness stole away in his face.

He stumbled around the corner as Sabine started to laugh at him.

 _What just happened kid?_ Kanan asked.

 _I ran into a wall because you were distracting me… Sabine is laughing at me…_

Ezra could feel Kanan's amusement and relief.

 _You're almost there. If I sense you're getting angry again I'm sending you more-_

Ezra shut his mind, almost sick of hearing his voice, sick of needing his help.

"Sabine shut it. I mean it!" Ezra snapped. "It's not funny."

The girl rolled her eyes and turned on her heel. "Come on, stumbly." She took off before Ezra could throw an insult back at her.

He sprinted after her, sighing in annoyance. _I can't believe we haven't run into any bucket heads yet._

As he was thinking that, another voice muttered at him: _Can't even use your feet? How can you be of help to them? How many times have you been captured now?_

Ezra felt his face heat, annoyance turning into irritation. His feet were what had kept him alive on Lothal.

 _This isn't exactly Lothal. More people are gu-_

 _Shut up already!_ He shouted at the voice.

He was so engrossed in telling the person, voice, Force, to shut up, that he collided with Sabine, who was crouched behind a corner.

"Omph!" He muttered, trying to gain purchase on anything to keep them steady, striking out at the wall. His fist connected with a clang as his feet skidded along the ground, further entangling themselves with Sabine's legs, his left hand grabbing Sabine's arm as if she were stable. The rest of Ezra slammed into her back as he tumbled downward, pushing them out into the corridor.

Sabine gasped loudly in surprise as her face smacked into the ground. She was already squirming to get out from under him.

Ezra rolled off her, trying to avoid her tiny fists.

"Karabast!" She snarled. "I'm gonna kill y-"

"Hey! You!"

"-ou!"  
"What are you doing!"

Sabine leaped to her feet, trying to contain a string of curses.

Ezra tilted his head up, his vision filled with three armor clad stormtroopers, pointing their blasters directly at them.

"Karabast..."

 ***What do you think will happen? If you review I might use your ideas! Do that or just review and I'll give you a shout out!****


	3. Force Interference

****Shout out to Rebels-lover, the two Guests, and Sakura245 for reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying! Sorry for all the cliffes!****

Kanan felt a jolt of fear through the Force, aimed right at him, the same second that Hera gave a gasp. He jerked his head to the holomap, sitting open in front of her. It took him a second to find Ezra and Sabine. Two red dots, standing before three blue ones.

Imperialists.

Hera's eyes widened. "Ezra! Sabine!"

"They're okay. They aren't hurt. It's part of the mission, they were supposed to get caught." Kanan's voice was carefully clipped. A chair was pressing into his stomach where he was leaning over it, his white knuckles the only giveaway to his anxiety.

Hera took a breath, pushing her own worry away. They were responsible. They were strong. They were resilient.

They were children.

"Kanan, is Ezra _okay_?" She demanded, looking intently at the holomap.

Kanan entered into the Force, searching out the life source that was his padawan. He followed the tendrils of fear, of surprise, excitement, anger towards the Empire and-himself?

Kanan pushed forgiveness toward his padawan. Forgiveness and safety and assurance that, even though he wasn't there, he wasn't going to leave him, no matter how hard Ezra fought against it. He wouldn't leave his padawan to deal with his fear, with his mission, alone. He wouldn't leave him to fight and di- _What am I saying!_ Kanan yelled at himself.

Ezra was _no_ _t_ going to die.

He took a breath, pushing all emotion back. "No flickering lights. They're okay."

"Sabine is, what about Ezra?"

"He's, unharmed. But jeez, the kid, he…" Kanan trailed off and shook his head. "Whoever is getting to him through the Force they're doing a good job."

"Then you have to do a better job. I know you can." Hera gave him a nod.

He nodded back in response. "Thanks Hera."  
"You're welcome."

"Tell me you've sorted through the transmissions."

"What?" She asked.

Kanan face palmed. "The transmissions to the Empire from that ship. No one kidnaps that many kids and doesn't contact anyone."

"Do you think the children were from Tatooine?"

"I don't know, hack into their ship's landings."

Hera did nothing more to respond than nod tersely, giving another glance back at the holomap. Her fingers flew over the computer. She took another breath. "Chopper!" She shouted.

There was no response.

"Karabast!" She muttered, pulling her comm out and flipping to Chopper's station. "Chopper get to the pilot's wing, I need you over here!"

Chopper chirped back that he was on the lookout for rodents in the kitchen. _Space mice! Here! Saw one!_ _Can't let them eat food_! He warbled. It was an excuse he had used twice before, and the second time he really had been looking for one when it turned out to be just a dust mote he'd seen.

Kanan saw Hera's face darken. " _Chopp-err_! If you don't get your rusty legs over to the piloting chamber in the next two minutes I'll turn you into scrap metal!"

It was rare that Hera showed her temper to such a degree, but when the lives of her crew were riding on how fast they could accomplish the mission, every second weighed on her. She took a breath again as she heard Chopper coming down the hall, crashing into things every couple of seconds in his haste.

Kanan, trying to calm her down, quipped, "It looks like he'll turn _himself_ into scrap metal before you at this rate."

Hera barely gave a smile, focusing on the screen full of code.

"You'll get it done in barely an hour at this rate."

Hera didn't respond at all this time, heavily focused on the task at hand.

Kanan squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry, we're going to figure this out. The kids are going to come onto this ship, safe, and Ezra will be back here in no time, arguing with Zeb, Sabine painting her room. Or the kitchen again." He wrapped his arms around her in an awkward hug.

Hera cracked a painful smile. "Or Ezra's room."

"She sure has a temper."

Chopper careened into the room at that moment, knowing better than to test Hera's temper further.

It was a testament to how serious he thought she was when he didn't chitter on about how much Kanan and she looked like a couple.

Hera turned her head, brushing Kanan off. "Chopper, I'm working on transmissions from the ship itself. You work on reports of this thing, see who the children are."

Chopper warbled his agreement. _When done?_ He asked.

"I'll put this way, stop talking and get a move on!" She snapped at him, not caring whether or not she sounded mean.

"Hera, you work on that, I'll keep an eye on the holomap."

"Thanks love." She replied absently, her focusing turning to the lines of code in front of her.

"Don't worry about it." He responded, turning his head to the holomap and taking a seat before it.

The two red dots began to move down the hallway, backed by the three blue ones. Kanan could tell that the one on the right was Ezra, without having to guess. His padawan opened his mind to the Force again, and Kanan entered.

It had begun.

"Karabast…" Ezra felt rather than heard the word fall from his mouth.

"Who are you!" The bucket head on the left shouted, jabbing his gun forward. There was a rattle of plastic.

"Jav-" Ezra began sarcastically.

Sabine kicked the lower side of his back.

"Ow!" He exclaimed.

The girl stared at the troopers. "My name is Jelissa. We're two of the people you _kidnapped_."

"Why did you get out!" The middle one yelled. He walked forward and jabbed Sabine in the chest.

"Jessila!"

"What did you just call her?" The one of the left demanded.

Sabine answered for him. "He's my idiot little brother. It was a nickname he'd given me when we were little because he couldn't say Jelissa. He still uses it when he's terrified."

The trooper on the right shook his head.

 _Not only am I her little brother I'm_ terrified _?!_ Ezra shook his head in anger, the surprise quickly falling off him. He stood. "I'm not afraid!"

"Yeah, yeah. You just keep talking, I know you're terrified, _blueberry_."

Ezra felt his face go pink. "I'm _not_ ter-"

The middle stormtrooper interrupted him. "Jelissa!"

"What!" She snapped.

"How did you escape!"

"Well I didn't escape. I'm still here! I was sick of the little ones screaming!"

"That's too bad, so are we! How did you get out of the room!"

"One of you bucketheads left the door unlocked!" She snapped.

The one on the right stomped closer to her. "What did you just call me!"

Ezra stepped in front of her. "She called you a buckethead, you plastic wearing rodent." His fists tightened, and he expected electricity to bolt through him.

Instead he got a blow to the back of his head.

"Ow!" He yowled, turning around.

Sabine smacked him across the face, glaring at him.

"Hey!" He protested.

"You keep your mouth shut Logan, you got it! Or I'll hurt you worse than just a tap on the head!"

 _This is bordering on abusive!_ Ezra thought in complaint.

"Quit your bickering you two! Get a move on!" The trooper on the right snapped. He walked around behind them as the left one did so, the middle buckethead following in his wake. "Start walking!" He snapped.

Sabine let out a grunt of irritation.

"You got a problem with that!" the middle one demanded.

"Well, no, I guess not, buckethea-Omph! Hey!"

Ezra looked over at her to see that the trooper behind her had rammed the blaster into her back again.

"Jelissa shut _up_ already!" Ezra snapped. If he was going to play the role of annoying little brother, he might as well do it right. "What, the paint fumes starting to get to you? You always abuse me, I hate you! I wish you weren't my sister! I wish mom had killed you instead of dad!" He risked a glance at her, and on her face was murder. Her eyes seemed to say, _I'm going to kill you when we get out of this._

She shot back, "Well it's too bad you were adopted. Maybe _this_ is the reason your parents tried to kill you and threw you on the streets. What, you think they _wanted_ keep you around?"

Ezra turned around. "Aren't you going to stop her?"

The trooper on the right responded. "We would, but this is too much fun. As long as you're not killing each other we don't have to intervene."

Sabine growled at her 'brother'. "You're lucky I _don't_ kill you!"

The middle trooper spoke up. "Oh, death will come to you both soon enough."

Ezra snorted. "Everyone's gonna die sooner or later. Especially this freak if she doesn't quit dying her hair. Those fumes have already made her messed up enough."

Sabine responded by landing an elbow to Ezra's temple. His mind opened on reflex.

"Ow!" He yelled.

The stormtroopers chuckled. "You deserved it." one of them said.

 _Ezra the mission is killing the_ stormtroopers, not _your sister!_

 _She's gonna kill_ me _!_

Kanan chuckled. _And who's fault is that?_

The other voice decided to answer. _Yours._

A wave of worry rippled through the Force. _Ezra? I felt a disturbance. Don't close me off, hear me out. I just felt something dark. Are you alright?_

 _I'm fine…_

 _But?_

Ezra played dumb. _But?_

 _You're fine but what?_

He smacked into a wall again.

 _Ow!_

Kanan chuckled despite his worry. _You really need to watch where you're going kid._

 _Oh shut up._ He muttered, sending out a wave of irritation at his master.

 _Hey, I'm kidding. But really, whoever's been trying to manipulate you, they're on the Dark side. You have to ignore them, kid, just like you did with the Seventh sister._

 _I know, I know! I'm trying!_

 _You're doing great at it. Just keep it up. I'm going to keep sending you calm waves… and now that I think about it, focus ones too._

 _...Next time I'm going to_ purposely _run into a wall._

 _Chin up, kid. This mission is going to be over before you know it._ Kanan, knowing that Ezra needed as much spare focus as he could get, stopped talking to him, and his padawan didn't respond.

He didn't close his mind, either, which relieved his master.

The kid looked around him.

He and Sabine were being lead through another metal hallway, with the same amount of doors on their side with the same handprint locks affixed to the doors. He turned to look at Sabine, who met his eyes with a poisonous glare.

He apologized with his own, but the only reaction he got was a sharper glare.

 _She is going to_ kill _me. Kanan if I don't survive her temper don't let her paint my old room!_

 _You're the one who got on her bad side._ Was all he said.

Ezra shook his head, looking in front of him again.

"Turn left." The middle buckethead said. He jammed Sabine in the back with the butt of his blaster. What the voice had said earlier came tumbling back. _You won't be able to save them._

He felt along the bumps in his pants for his slingshot. It would be so easy just to-

 _I can sense your thoughts getting dark. Don't even think about it. You're still undercover, kid._ Kanan said as he pushed waves of calm towards him.

Ezra sighed. He had forgotten his mind was open to the Force.

They turned the corner to see 4 stormtroopers gathered outside of a door.

The one in the middle said, "These two escaped under your watch! You left the door unlocked, _again_! Command is going to hear about this!"

He was apparently talking to the trooper to the far right, who shook his head. "I didn't! I double checked!"

"Well then you should have triple checked." The comrade to his left said.

"I was sure!" He protested, before pausing to listen to something coming over his comm. Wordlessly he walked out into another hallway, to get reprimanded by his superiors, whoever they were.

Ezra made a mental note of the direction he had gone as they drew closer to the room. He wondered just how incompetent their security was, and just how easy they would be to manipulate. When they were no more than five paces from the door, one of the stormtrooper's opened it, placing his hand on it.

The door wheezed open, slowly at first, before getting halfway and jerking into the wall.

"Make sure it doesn't happen again." Said the buckethead behind Ezra. He pushed him forward, Sabine's guard pushing her into the room.

They both turned to face the troopers before getting a good look around them.

One of the guards of the room pointed his blaster at her. "If it happens again you'll see just what happens when we find an escapee."

The door slid shut as he was talking, and the two were sealed in.

Ezra turned around, and his heart dropped into his stomach.

 ****Okay so just a wondering, I'm going to be writing more fan fics. What do you want me to write ABOUT?****


	4. Compromised

*******Shout out to Sakura245, Silvers Dream100, Rebels-lover,** **Amelia dragneel15** **, and BuruPlays 2 for reviewing! I will continue to torture you in this latest installment. If you want to hate on anyone for it hate on Sakura245 who gave me this account!** (sorry anika!)**

Ezra turned around, and his heart dropped into his stomach. The first kid that he saw locked eyes with his, and he couldn't stop staring. Brown eyes, wide, bloodshot from crying and lack of sleep. Reflected in them he could see his own distorted form. Blue hair, a jaw that was close to a triangle in the reflection, eyes just as wide in surprise, mouth op-

He quickly shut it, trying to strip all surprise from his face.

He broke eye contact, looking at the boy's hair. It was matted and tangled, and there was a patch that was missing. Ezra didn't even want to think about what from. On looking closer at it he saw that there were still scabs in the area. Whatever had happened was violent enough to produce blood.

The teen swallowed, to find his mouth completely dry. He tore his eyes away from the boy's hair and focused on his face, making sure to avoid his eyes. There wasn't anything that looked injured on his face, no cuts or bruises visible.

Ezra took it as a good sign, but found his attention drawn back to his boy's nose. It took almost a full minute to realize why.

It had just been broken.

On looking closer, he realized it was swollen, the bottom twisted to the right far more than it should have been.

A hand touched his shoulder. "Ezra?"

He turned. It was Sabine.

Anger forgotten, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you okay?"

"Me? I, I'm, yeah, I'm okay." He stuttered, looking around him.

Around he and Sabine, there were about 40 kids, all staring at them, some with bruises and cuts on them, others seemingly unharmed. They were young kids, between the ages of five and ten. All looked terrified but curious at the new arrivals. Some inched closer, while others hung back, scuttling against the wall, unsure of who they were. The younger children took up a majority of these, calling to the other kids for comfort, for assurance. Sabine looked at them, unsure of what to do. One of the older kids, maybe eight or nine, walked up to Ezra.

"Are you here to hurt us…?" His voice was hoarse from misuse, barely above a whisper. Ezra could hear the fear under his words, masked by worry for the other children.

Ezra turned to Sabine, a question in his eyes, but she answered with a shrug. _Tell them what you want_.

"We're here to save you." At that, some of the children began to creep forward from the back, drawn by safety and curiosity.

"Who are you?" One asked.

"I'm Ezra. But if those buckethead guards come in and ask, my name is Logan."

"I want my mommy!" One exclaimed, her voice like the mew of a kitten.

"I know," Ezra said, looking around to see which of them had spoken. "I know, but you're going to see her real soon. We're getting you all out of here."

"How?" An older boy asked. He looked at Ezra, his eyes filled with fear and doubt and hope.

Something in the teen's stomach churned. He swallowed again. "Take out the guards, sneak you guys out, easy job."

"How are we going to get off a ship that's a million miles from _anything_?!" One of the children from the back wailed.

"There's a ship connected to this one, the one that we've got."

A flurry of questions erupted from the entire mass.

"When are you going to take out the guards?"

"Is someone else coming to help?"

"How long do we have to wait?"

"What if they come to hurt us first?"

"What happens if you get caught?"

Ezra was caught off guard. "Whoa, one at a time."

One of the younger ones spoke up. "Are we gonna die here…?" His voice was a squeak, the the metal the words bouncing off itself and twisting them into something almost unrecognizable. It took Ezra a second understand them.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Bernie…"

"Bernie, we're getting all of you out alive. I promise. It's what we came to do and we're not going back on that ship until every one of you is safe on it. You're all getting off of here, you're all going to see your parents again. I promise."

The child nodded, tears glistening in his eyes.

"Guys, don't lose hope!" Ezra exclaimed, scanning the crowd. There were a mix of Mandolins and Twi'leks and Togratas. All stared at him, as did Sabine. "We came here for a reason, to save you guys. We're able to. We've fought the Empire before. We can-"

Sabine suddenly clamped a hand over his mouth. "Shut it Logan you don't know what you're talking about!" She hissed.

"Wha-?" Ezra mumbled in confusion.

"Cameras and audio could be anywhere!" she responded in a low voice, taking her hand off his mouth.

"Karabas-"

Her hand clamped right back down. "There are _children_ that are here! What would Hera say!"

Ezra shuddered to think of her response to hear that he had sworn, let alone in front of children.

Sabine's hand lowered from his mouth and she waved the children closer to them.

Most obliged, forming a semicircle in front of them.

When the girl knew that she had their attention, she started again. "The Empire considers us a threat, considers us the bad guy, so they can't know that we're here. They don't know that we're here right now. No one can know who we really are."

There were nods and murmurs of response.

"So, um," Ezra began awkwardly. "Just pretend we're normal, like we were here when you got on here."

"Go back to what you were doing before." Sabine added.

Without a word the kids went back to mingling.

Ezra sat down with a sigh, Sabine sitting down next to him. She turned to look at him. "Don't think I'm not still mad at you."

"I'm sorry, I was playing a role."

"And taking your chance to insult me."

"You were doing the same thing."

Sabine snorted in laughter. "Yeah, because you were taking the first shots!"

"You elbowed me on the skull!"

"It didn't hurt. You're still conscious. You're lucky I didn't do it _hard_."

"That _was_ hard!" Ezra couldn't help but grin.

"What?" Sabine asked.

"Here we are, smack in the belly of the beast, and we're bickering and joking like we're real siblings."

"Well what else can we do but wait for now."

"Nothing I guess."

As they were talking one of the younger kids, a Twi'lek, had walked over to them. He pointed at Sabine. "Who are you…?"

"Don't point, it's rude." she said, before pausing. "The less you know the better. Just call me Jelissa."

He nodded, before sitting down next to Ezra.

"What's your name, kid?"

He craned his neck up to look at the blue haired boy. "Reddon."

"I'm fifteen, how old are you?"

"I'm seven. What are you?"

"I'm, I'm just me. I come from Lothal."

"I'm from Tatooine."

"Oh, do you like it there?"

"Mm, yes and no. It's really hot and there's not a lot of people. Just dragons and stuff."

"Dragons? I thought those were a myth."

"No! My uncle saw one once!" exclaimed the kid, his fear turning to momentary excitement. "He was out one night where he wasn't supposed to be and a dragon saw him and it almost bit his head off!"

Some of the eavesdroppers gasped.

"Whoa!" Ezra said.

Sabine turned to Reddon. "So, where do you kids go to the bathroom?"

Reddon pointed to the corner, where a solitary toilet sat against the wall.

She pulled a face. "Ehh."

"I know." Reddon sighed. "At least they feed us!"

Ezra looked down at him. "Oh yeah? How often do they do that?"

"Once a day. They give us yucky pasty stuff but at least we're not hungry!"

 _Appetite curbs when you take nutrient paste._ Ezra thought to himself as he nodded. "When does that come?"

"Um, I don't know. After we all wake up."

"Oh," was all he said, looking around at the structure of the room.

Light seeped down from the ceiling, covered by metal casings, the familiar white reflection of it visible on the grey sheet metal that made the room. _No good trying to use glass as a weapon._ Ezra thought in disappointment. He didn't mind too much, knowing he still had his slingshot tucked safely away in his pocket.

He found himself resting his hand on it.

It felt weird not having it secured on his wrist, but it relieved some of his anxiety just to know he had it. He also had his lockpick kit on him, buttoned into his back pocket. His lightsaber and blaster had been too big to fit into them without suspicion, but he didn't mind. He didn't need it so long as he had his other two necessities on him.

Ezra continued to look around them. There was only one shaft, which he immediately ruled as _out_. It was at the top of the ceiling, fourteen feet above his head. Even if he could have taken the grill off of it with the Force _without_ arousing suspicion, _and_ jumped up to it, he wouldn't have been able to fit even his head into it, being only five inches wide.

The teen realized with a sinking heart that this room was going to be impossible to escape from _without_ overpowering the guards. He took a breath, pushing doubt from his mind and letting hope enter. If there was one thing he had learned from Kanan, it was that he needed a clear mind whenever fighting, and having self doubts and fears only muddled it.

"We can do this." He said to no one.

Sabine answered anyway. "We can."  
He turned to her and nodded. "I just didn't expect it to be so hard."

"It'll end and it'll be better, sooner than it feels like."

"Yeah, I know. I'm going to take a nap. The guards won't come until morning anyway and I'm getting tired."

Sabine rolled her eyes. "I'll keep watch then. I'll wake you up if anything happens."

Ezra nodded, laying down and curling up on something that was far from soft or warm, the cool of the metal making gooseflesh break out over his skin. He shuddered.

The teen felt a small bundle press against his chest, and he opened his eyes in surprise, to stare into the hair of Reddon. The little boy was huddled against his chest, awkwardly and in the fetal position. Just as awkwardly, Ezra wrapped a protective arm around his torso. Reddon relaxed into him a little, and mumbled something.

"What was that, kid?"

He spoke up. "I knew that someone was coming to save us. I finally feel safe now."

Ezra didn't react more than to close his glistening eyes. He took a breath. "Go to sleep, Red. You're safe now. You can sleep knowing you're going to wake up now."

He felt Reddon relax more against him, and started to drift off himself, falling asleep to muted conversations and the occasional whimper, a symphony of just what the Empire could cause.

Kanan's head began to nod. "No!" He snapped at himself, rubbing his face fervently in an attempt to regain some sense of alertness.

"Love, you've been awake for almost twenty hours now. You need to get rest."

"I'll rest, just like I know you will, when Ezra and Sabine and those _children_ are safe. How far have you and Chopper come on the transmissions?"

"We've decoded the messages and found that the Empire wants the children for stormtrooper training. Any kids they could find that were young enough to be 'reformed'." Hera put the word in quotes and pulled a face. "This is the first mass kidnapping that the Empire has constructed. They're planning on more."

"So we'll stop them before they can do this again." Kanan's voice was tight as he spoke.

"We _will_ , love, we will."

"How long have they been missing for?"

"Most of them are street kids, so there's no reportings of anyone missing. We think it happened sometime around the morning three days ago."

"Well we'll stop them before they can!" Kanan snapped.

Hera ignored his mood before sighing. "We can and we _will_ , Kanan. We've done it before and we can do it again."

"I hate this. I hate the Empire I hate what they do. I hate that we don't make a _dent_ in any of this!" Kanan threw his hands up.

"I know, love. We're doing what we can and we _are_ striking back. We're saving people's lives. We're thwarting their plans. We're doing more than it feels."

Kanan took a breath. "I know. What has the ship said to the way-station?"

"That they're going to be coming in in the next couple of days to refuel and whatnot. They don't seem to be involved on this but only Imperialists use it."

The Jedi nodded.

Both their heads turned as Chopper bleeped urgently.

"What's the matter?" The Jedi asked.

Hera looked at her screen as Chopper sent information to her. It automatically read the names. "Albert Throe, six years. Derrek Manning, nine years. Sherry Mcain, nine years." The computer droned on.

"Karabast, they're children. They're the children who were taken."

"The Empire's list of incoming trooper potentials." Hera said soberly. "Recorded when the children entered the ship."

"Karabast." Kanan shook his head.

"Say it once more and you'll start to slip up in front of the kids." Hera warned. "You don't usually cuss this much." She added.

"I'm sorry, I know. It's just… I'm so worried about them."

"I know, love. We'll get through this though."

Chopper whirled something indistinguishable while Hera listened. "Chop did you say what I think you just said?"

The droid beeped in acknowledgment and repeated itself. _List will be checked again. Need 42 now not 40. Suspicions! They check! Ezra! Sabine! Get caught!_

"Not if we work fast." Hera set her jaw determinedly, her fingers moving over the keys, code appearing on the screen like it had always been there. "All we have to do is send this to the ship, and there won't be any more problems."

"Good." Kanan breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks for catching that, Chopper."

Chopper warbled a question. _Do I get a reward for this?_

Kanan opened his mouth to fire back, but Hera beat him to it. Without pulling her eyes away from the screen, she said absently, "I won't turn you into spare parts."

The Jedi allowed himself a smile as he settled back to watch the holomap. It was going to be a long night.

It was almost another hour before the Jedi heard Chopper's panicked jabbering.

Ezra woke to a hand shaking his shoulder. It was a tiny one, and couldn't tell for a moment if it belonged to Sabine or Reddon.

"Ezra! Wake up!" the hissed voice muttered.

 _Yup, definitely Sabine._ He thought.

"Nn, ten more minutes. Your shift isn't over yet." He grumbled.

"Ezra I'm going to be taken."

The teen flopped back over, almost crushing the little body beneath him. "You're joking."

"I will launch a grenade at you personally if you don't listen to what I'm saying! I'm being _taken_!"

"'Ow c'n 'ou know." Ezra slurred.

"Chopper hacked into their security footage and they know something's not right. He heard them say 'Sabine', and 'questioning', and 'should be 40 not 42.' Ezra, I was caught. You've gotta go this alone. These are the codes to get back on the ship." She stuffed something into his hand.

He bolted upright. "Tell me you're joking…!"

She glared at him. "I don't pull pranks. Not on missions." Under her glare, Ezra saw something else. Uncertainty. Fear.

"I'm coming for you, don't worry."

"Me, worried?" Sabine gave a dismissive snort. "Put that in your pocket before they come in. Get the kids out first. Whenever you feel is a good time. I trust you. Don't do something stupid."

"I-" It was all Ezra had time to say before the door whooshed open. He shoved the codes in his pocket before it opened fully.

A second later, three stormtroopers walked in. "Jelissa." One of them boomed.

She stood in response and took a shaky breath. "Why do you need me?"

"We have orders to relocate you." The one on the left said, grabbing her arm and hauling her out of the room.

She gave no protest or resistance, knowing it was best for everyone involved.

Before the door hissed shut, the stormtrooper who had been silent the entire time looked directly at the teen before walking out.

As the door hissed shut, Ezra felt a knot of dread gather in his stomach.

He was on his own.

He lacked an escape plan.

He was responsible for the lives of 40 children.

They were miles away from anything.

They were compromised.


	5. New Hope

*****Thanks to everyone who reviewed! If you're reading this please check out my new story (yes I will be juggling!) called Stranded! Thanks for your continued support, it's really appreciated. And, no, rebels-lover, I will not leave you with a cliffe this time.*****

Kanan felt a disturbance pulse through him, and his head looked to the door to the pilot's chamber automatically. No one.

Hera turned to him, eyes half closed. "Something wrong?"

"Yeah, I don't know wha…" Kanan trailed off as Hera looked over his shoulder, face paling.

The cabin was dead silent, the air stilling, before Kanan broke it. "What's the matter?"

"The holomap. One of the kids are being taken by the stormtroopers."

"Kids?" Kanan asked, his head turning to the left, back to the holomap, lack of sleep confusing his mind for an instant before he realized what she meant.

Walking through the corridors were three stormtroopers, in front of them a red dot, being led to God only knew where.

"Oh no." Kanan muttered, forcing worry from his mind. He needed to enter the Force. He needed to make sure that Ezra was safe.

He reached out, and could feel his padawan, radiating fear and concern and distress.

 _Ezra are you okay? Who was taken?_

His padawan reached out to him, and he pushed calm through the Force at him. He sensed Ezra relax a little, and it calmed him down.

 _I'm okay._ Came his shaky reply. It seemed to take forever.

 _Was it Sabine that was taken?_

 _Yeah… they noticed the change from 40 to 42 in the system._

 _Crap. We can see where they're taking her, I'll tell you where it is._

 _Thanks._

 _Do you know what you're going to do kid?_

 _No, not yet… All of those kids, but then I need to rescue Sabine… And what are_ you _going to do?_

 _I won't infiltrate unless absolutely necessary. You're still undercover. If I break in they'll know something's up and they might take it out on the kids. I can't take that chance. I'm not going to risk their lives. What were you thinking of doing?_

 _I, I don't know, Kanan. Just let me think._ Irritation began to spark in him, and Kanan pushed calm through the Force.

 _Just think harder._

Kanan was blasted with wave of irritation.

 _Sorry kid! I'm just saying, 40 lives are riding on this!_

 _Not helping!_

 _I'm sorry! I'm just as worried as you are._

 _Well then maybe you could try to help me instead of adding so much pressure!_

 _Focus on the kids first. Sabine is strong, she can take care of herself._

 _Sabine gave me the codes._

 _That's good, you can get back then._

 _40 kids… 40 kids to get out by myself… I need a distraction._

 _What kind._

 _Big. As big as you can make it._

 _Where from?  
The opposite side of the ship, if you can._

 _Opposite side, let me check… Come on, stupid overlay. I hate this piece of junk._

 _Don't let Hera catch you saying that._ Ezra joked.

It made Kanan smile.

 _There's a lot I'd rather not have Hera hear._

 _Wait, you think bad about her?_

 _No, no!_ Kanan replied.

 _I can tell you're lying! I can feel it through the Force! You think bad of her! I'm telling when I get off this ship!_

 _No! I like her! No, no! I mean, I don't like her, I just, it's, I, jeez kid stop making me stutter! I admire her piloting skills!_

 _Suuuure. You_ like _her._ Ezra started to laugh again. Ripples of relief filtered towards him. _You like mom!_

 _She's no-_ Kanan cut himself off with a chuckle, before his eyes were torn back to the holomap. _Karabast._

 _What happened? You just got really worried._

 _They took her to the interrogation cells…_

 _That's it! I have to do something! I can't let them hurt her! I've been through that, no way I'm letting that happen!_ Protection and fear and anger hit Kanan like a wall.

 _Ezra_ calm down. _You need to calm down. You need a clear mind and you can't have that with violence tainting it. Yes I can feel your thoughts getting violent. Think only of the protection. Remember your training Ezra. Go back into your mind, separate yourself from the situation until the wave is over._

Ezra did as he was told, and Kanan sensed him calm down slightly. _Kanan what do I do…_

 _Keep focusing on the kids. I'll rescue her when I create the distraction._

 _Okay._ Ezra took a breath. _Are you sure you know what you're doing?_

Kanan remained silent for a long pause, the silence stretching into a minute before he replied. _That's it! I'm going to lecture you, right here! Right now! I have been to hell and back in my life! When you go through the Clone Wars, you can question me! When you've saved a hundred lives, you can question me! When you've risked your neck for your crew, for a family that could possibly be killed off just like your own were, you can question me! When you have made countless rescues, then you can question me! When you have been_ tortured _and watched others, innocents, being harmed because of you, when you've had to look into the eyes of their loved ones and apologize from the bottom of your heart,_ then _you can question me! But until that happens, Heavens forbid, you are still my padawan, I still know more than you do, and you just have to get over your trust issues and trust me for once, trust me to keep you safe! You and the crew! Do you understand me!_

Silence met him.

 _Ezra! You had better have been listening to me! Are you listening to me?_ Ezra _answer me!_

 _I'm right here! And no, I wasn't listening to you! I'm sorry, I was a little distracted. I should be more focused on you. I will absolutely stop trying to figure out how get the 40 kids you're so worried about out and listen to you next time, I promise master._

Kanan sent out a wave of irritation in the Force.

Ezra ignored it.

 _Kid I'm sorry for going off on you like that. This isn't over but I am sorry._

 _Whatever. When are you going to make that distraction?_

 _When do you need me to do it. When would be a good time?_

 _I don't know, they lock us in here and it's only accessible from the troopers hands… I guess when they come to give us food. Once every morning. When everyone's awake._

 _I'll rely on Chop's vid feed. When they come to give you food come morning?_

 _That sounds perfect. I can't wait to get these kids out of here. And get Sabine out._

 _We'll get them all out in just a couple of hours._

 _Hey, is Zeb back from Lothal yet?_

 _No, still on his own mission._

 _Of course. Always taking days to do things that should only take him hours._

 _Sounds like he's taught you more than just how to cuss._

 _Hey! You say asshole and karabast too!_

 _Ha, don't let Hera catch you saying that._

 _She'll put me in the shafts again._

 _Where you're most comfortable. Just don't think about spying on her again._

 _We all know how well that went._ Ezra gave a chuckle.

 _I'm going to keep an eye on the transmissions with Hera, Ezra. If you need anyone to talk to just reach into the Force. I'll be here._

 _Thanks Kanan…_

 _We'll get through this. Remember, come breakfast, be ready._

 _I will. You too._

 _Always._

 _Stay safe Kanan._

 _Don't do something stupid, kid._

Ezra felt Kanan quiet, and didn't reply.

With a huff of air, he laid back down, feeling his blood pressure skyrocket as his head pounded with his heart, suddenly beating to the point of being felt in his chest. _Just breathe in and out. Just in and out. If I forget how to breathe I know Kanan will never let me live it down…_

Ezra took a breath, exhaling halfway before inhaling sharply when something hit his leg. Jerking in surprise, he looked down to see Reddon had kicked him, tossing about in his sleep. Sighing, he wrapped an arm around the boy.

Just like Kanan would with him when he had nightmares.

He sighed, and felt a smile begin to turn his lips, holding the little boy just a tad tighter. Ezra wasn't much older than him, just by seven, eight years. They had the same life. His was ending just as Reddon's was beginning, he realized. Just like it had been with Kanan.

Ezra hoped that the Empire had been less cruel to the boy than to him or his master, even though he knew that odds were, it hadn't been much better. The sick truth was that on this ship, he was probably headed to one better than the one on the streets. Ezra shook his head, his chin winding up nuzzling Reddon's hair. It smelled musty, and could have used a good washing.

The teen thought that this was what Kanan must have felt toward him. _Kanan if this is how you feel about me, I know you would never let someone hurt me._ He thought, the words going unanswered since he hadn't spoken through the Force.

He felt so strongly about the little boy laying into him for comfort, for safety, the false knowledge that everything was going to be okay, that he was going to make everything okay, the one thing that had gotten him to sleep. Ezra hoped that the boy was Force-sensitive, so that one day he might be able to train him like Kanan did for him. So that he could have a bond with Reddon. So that he could teach him, watch him grow, be proud of him. Be his friend, protector, mentor. The only person he could fully trust to save his life. A dad, almost.

All the things that Kanan was to Ezra.

The boy realized how wide he was smiling, and it grew even more. He let the happiness move inside of him, giving birth to a renewed hope, determination, a promise to never turn into what they were fighting against. The kid had put that happiness inside of him, not even trying to. All he had done was go to Ezra for protection, for love and comfort, and it made the teen swell inside to know he had given those two things to him when he had been at the worst point in his life, when he had been most scared.

"I'll never let you die, kiddo." Ezra whispered in his ear. "You don't have to worry about anything, I'm taking care of you now."

As Ezra reached out to the Force, he realized Reddon wasn't Force-sensitive. It didn't matter. He still wouldn't let anything happen to him, and he still would stop at nothing to calm his nerves. The teen thought it was strange that he felt so strongly toward him, but it didn't matter.

"Nn, 'zra…" The kid mumbled.

"I'm here." He found himself saying.

As he sleep began to take him, he smiled.

He would be ready for tomorrow. He could and he would lead them to safety, no matter what the voice said. No matter who tried to corrupt him, they wouldn't be successful.

He smiled, knowing that not he nor Reddon was alone, nor would they ever be.


	6. Alone

******Shout out to those of you who have liked and reviewed and read my other works! thanks for HANGING in there with this, writers block had its hold on me... yeah I know puns aren't my thing. Thanks to rebels lover for giving me a shout out! Her stuff is pretty good too! Sorry for the cliffe but that's how I roll!****

Ezra woke up to a dull pain in his side. His eyes cracked open to see a tuft of auburn, hair in his eyes making him jerk away in surprise. "Ow," He muttered, peeling the strands of brown out of the eye it had been stuck in. _How on earth did that even happen._ He thought. Not that it mattered. The teen stroked the boy's head, noticing the way it was starting to jerk around. A nightmare.

He really wished the kid were Force-sensitive now.

"Don't worry it's just a dream, I'm still right here, you're still safe. You're safe. It's just a dream, you can wake up… wake up, kid. I'm here."

Reddon gave more kicks, his arms starting to flail.

"Reddon wake up. Reddon, come on, you don't have to be trapped there, it's not a better life. I'm here. I'm here, keeping you safe."

Reddon gave a snort as he gasped through his mouth and nose, his whole body giving a jerk like a puppet on strings lifted from a fire. Feeling arms around him, he gave a cry of alarm, rousing some of the children.

"Reddon it's me, it's just me. It's Ezra. You're okay kiddo, the danger is gone, you're in a good place now. They can't get you now. I'd never let them get you."

The boy whimpered and turned into Ezra's chest.

"Don't worry, I've got you." He stroked the boy's back as both of them faded back into a restless sleep.

Entering the Force, Ezra called out to Kanan. _Kanan please help put me and Reddon to sleep without nightmares._

 _Sure thing kid._

Ezra immediately felt waves of calm go through him before remembering something. _Wait, Reddon isn't Force-sensitive._

 _Damn it. That would have helped him. Even though he isn't Force-sensitive I can tell how scared he is. And how much peace he has around you. He trusts you Ezra._

 _I know. That adds so much pressure. If something happens to him and I can't stop it, it would have been just false hope that I gave him._

 _False hope and peace are better than fear and destitution, which those kids were living in before you and Sabine entered the ship. And even if it was false hope for them, at least you gave them_ some _hope. Sometimes that's the best you can do._

 _I guess._ Ezra thought groggily, and realized his master must have been putting waves of sleep over the Force. _You're as tired as I am. Get sleep. You need a clear mind._

 _I'm used to staying awake for days on end. I'll be okay. You're the one who needs rest more._

Too tired to argue, Ezra only nodded his head.

"'ra thank for sav'in us." Reddon mumbled, sleep pulling him back into its arms.

The teen rubbed his back again. "You don't need to thank me, I never would have let someone hurt you kids and get away with it."

"I know you can save us… I can't wait to get outta here… Get me outta here."

"I will, I promise." Ezra said, and Reddon didn't reply. A couple of minutes later, the teen heard his breathing soften, and even out a little more.

 _You really care about him, don't you._ Kanan said through the Force.

 _What? Yeah, I do. I finally understand what you feel for me. I finally understand what it means to give someone such a, feeling of protection, the happiness that comes with knowing someone depends on you like that…_

 _But? I can feel your anxiety._

 _It scares the hell out of me. If i fail him, if something happens to him that I can't stop, what then?_

 _Then you tell yourself what I tell myself when someone happens to you. Your faith in me wasn't shaken, and you're still alive._

 _And if I died?_

There was a pause, growing longer as the seconds passed. _I wouldn't let that happen._

 _But if it did._ Ezra insisted.

 _If it did, the bond would be severed, but not my feelings for you. They will never go away. And if you die, I can know that you died with a sliver of faith in me, faith that I would get you out alive, faith, and trust, and hope, and love._

 _Everything Reddon has for me…_

 _Nothing's going to happen to him, kid. We won't let it._

 _I guess not._

 _Let me put you to sleep, Ezra. You're exhausted and worried._

 _Not anymore… not worried at least. Thanks for the calm._

 _You're welcome. You thought I would let you stay worried?_

 _Well it's you…_ He joked.

Ezra thought he heard Kanan say something else, but couldn't hear it as sleep plugged his ears and darkened his vision.

The next time Ezra woke it was to a small hand shaking his shoulder. "Ezra, or, Logan… are you awake?"

"Jus' clo'in' my eyes…" Ezra slurred back. "Hmm? Have another nightmare?"

"No… I just woke up."

"Oh, I didn't go to sleep at all. I wanted to make sure no troopers got in."

"Oh wow! You must be tired!"

"Not at all." he lied. With a groan he sat up, looking around him. Of the forty kids, about nine were awake.

"I need to go to the bathroom… don't peek!" Reddon stood up and ran to the toilet.

Ezra gave a small laugh. "I won't peek." He looked around at nothing before his eyes settled on the door. Something was nagging at him, something that was important.

 _Ezra?_ Kanan's voice startled him out of his thoughts.

 _What?_

 _What's the matter? I sensed you starting to get worried or something._

 _Something isn't adding up and I don't know what… Something about_ this _I guess._

 _What do you mean?  
Something is wrong and I can't tell what… the SOS call I guess.  
What about it? I feel your confusion. Don't doubt yourself. _

_The kids were all locked up… all of them… There's no comms or any way of communication here… so how did they send the SOS?_

Ezra felt Kanan's worry swell in response.

 _Do you think this was a trap?_ Kanan sounded worried.

 _I think they wanted get the kids_ and _us._ Ezra's own worry increased, and Kanan pushed calm through the Force.

 _Thanks for warning us. I guess that's why they caught the change from 40 to 42 so fast._

 _And why they pretended to recognize Sabine and I…_

 _The Force says she's still alive._

 _I trust the Force…_

 _But?_ Kanan asked.

 _She can still be hurt_ and _alive._

 _I know… But you know what?_

 _No, I don't know. What?_

 _She's just as strong as you are. You're both going to pull through just fine._

 _Thanks, Kanan._

 _You're welcome, kid. Just hang tight._

 _Are you ready for the breech?_

 _I am._

 _This is happening today…_

 _Go for the under armor, take their blaster, get to the airlock as fast as you can. We can do this._

 _What are you going to do?_

 _Exactly what you wanted to happen. I'll be making a distraction._

 _Don't do something stupid._

 _Don't worry, I won't do anything you would do._

 _What were you planning?_ Ezra couldn't help but worry.

"Ezra!"

The teen jumped. "Whoa!" His head jerked to the side. Reddon was an inch from his ear.

"Sorry," He sat back.

"That's okay. What's wrong?"

"You were staring at the door. Your eyes looked all dead."

"Wait, my eyes looked _dead_?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Okay, for one, how do you know what dead eyes look like?"

Reddon shrugged, looking down at his feet and picking at a hangnail. "Mmh." Was all he replied.

"Reddon, has someone been killed in front of you?"

This time the kid looked up at him. "No. No, I've never seen anyone die. I've just seen dead bodies. People and animals. People eyes are worse because with animal eyes they're just like little beads, like dolls… but not with people. People eyes look scared, like they're off somewhere else and are scared, like they wanna come back. Like they wanted to have a good life, like they wanted to be shown… um, mercy is the word. I don't like dead people eyes. They just stare at you."

Ezra shuddered. "I have too, kiddo."

"Am I gonna be a dead person?"

The teen paused. "One day. But not today, not any day soon."

"Promise?" There was no fear when he spoke this time. Ezra felt a twist in his gut, not wanting to let him down.

"I promise."

Reddon nodded, before pausing. "You said you were from Lothal?"

"Yeah…? Why?"

"Have you ever seen a Loth-cat?" The boy brought his knees to chest, hugging them and resting his chin in the hollow. His eyes were wide and curious, dotted with mischief.

"Haha, yeah. Why?"

"Was it big?"

Ezra raised his eyebrows. "Eh, yay high." He put his hand a foot above the ground. "And yay fat." He put his hands to his ears.

"Whoa! Did it attack you?"

"No, it just growled at me and pawed at me."

"Did you _eat it_!"

"What!" Ezra exclaimed, laughter falling from his mouth. "No! That thing would have eaten _me_ before I could have the chance to get it on a spit. I didn't eat it. I just let it go."

"It sounds like it would be yummy."

"You're nuts, kiddo."

Reddon shrugged, smiling. "I want to see a Loth-cat."

"Oh, you will some day. They're vicious and cantankerous though."

"Can-what?"

"Cantankerous. Crabby. Snippy."

"Ooh," Reddon's smile grew. "You know really big words."

"I know really big swears, too."

"Do you swear a lot?"

"No, not a _lot_ a lot. I swear when I'm in trouble or danger or something goes wrong."

"So a lot!"

"Hey!" Ezra laughed again. "You think that I mess up _that_ much?"

"I don't know, it sounds like it!"

"Well I _don't_." Ezra was grinning hugely.

"I've messed up." Reddon's eyes left Ezra's face, clouding in memory.

"Trust me, kiddo. I have too." The smile dropped from the teen's face, as if it had only been a mask of porcelain glued on by happiness, both so easily crushed by the Empire.

"Oh yeah?" the kid said bitterly. "Have you ever had to crawl away from a man who was trying to beat you to death and people stopped and laughed at the street rat?"

Ezra felt a pang of sadness for him but snapped anyway, "Have you ever had to watch your parents be dragged away to their death as you did nothing?"

"Worse, actually!" Reddon snapped, tears gathering in his eyes. "I had to watch as they were _killed_ because they wouldn't move because they had nowhere to go and they didn't want to be killed on the streets and they didn't think-" Reddon gave a sob. "They didn't think they'd be killed by the government!"

"Oh Reddon…" Ezra felt anguish and loss rip through the Force. He hugged the boy tightly. "How long ago…?" His voice was barely a whisper.

"Two years! I was four! I was just four and they killed them! They killed them!"

 _Ezra? What's going on?_ Kanan's voice was concerned.

Wanting to be alone with Reddon, with the one person who really shared his pain, all Ezra did in reply was shut his master out. _What does he know._ He thought. _He survived the Clone Wars but what does he know about being abandoned. About being a toddler, just a little kid, when your parents are killed._

"I was seven." Ezra said in his ear.

Reddon gave a hard sob into Ezra's chest. "They didn't do anything. They didn't do _anything_ and they were killed! The man who called me a street rat almost killed me! Why didn't they do anything da-Ezra! Why didn't they try to stop him! They didn't stop him they agreed with him and they didn't do anything when they saw them kill my parents!"

It took Ezra a moment to realize what events he was talking about, and when he did, his heart wrenched in his chest again. "Breathe, Reddon. Breathe. It's over now. All of that stuff is over. They did nothing, they agreed with him, because they were scared, and because they are awful people. Because they don't understand that people who steal, steal so that they don't die of starvation when those same people who we're stealing from think we should just get a job. They don't understand what barely surviving, so young, on your own, is like. They don't understand that they can fight back, that they have a choice. And that's exactly what they made me go through when I was your age. You've survived on your own, but you're not alone anymore. You've got us and you're safe." By the time he was done talking Ezra had tears of his own in his eyes. He blinked them back as he added, "You're safe. Your parents might be gone but there are still people who care about you, who would do anything and everything to keep you breathing another day."

"I want my mommy and daddy back!" Reddon wailed. Ezra's shirt dampened more.

"I want mine back too, kiddo. I want mine back too." He patted the child's back. "But I have others now. I have people who I think of as my mom and dad."

"Can I think about them like that too?" Reddon peeked up at the teen's face.

He noticed how red it was. "Absolutely."

"Tell me about them…?"  
"Well, one is a man, a Jedi in secret and one is a Twi'lek woman."

"What are those again?"

"Jedi are the ones with the whooshy glowing sticks, and Twi'lek and the ones with green skin."

"Oh."

"Yup." Ezra reached out with the Force and could tell that the boy had calmed, but his heartbreak still remained. "They're really great people. The Jedi's name is Kanan. He's saved me a lot. Even when I've thought he wouldn't be able to. There've been a lot of close calls. He's never let me die though. And Hera, the Twi'lek, she's so sweet. She can get kind of moody but aside from that, she calms everyone down and she always swoops in right when you need her. Literally! She's a pilot! And then there's Sabine. She's a lot more moody than Hera and she paints a lot. Hera trusts her more than me but that's only for right now. Zeb… Zeb is like a big brother to us. Even though I think he's older than the Empire."

Reddon gave a giggle. "Wow he's old!"

"Yup! He's a Lasat."

"Oh, those things!"  
"Yeah. He can be a meany but he's also pretty cool."

"He sounds cool!"

Ezra nodded and opened his mind again. _I'm sorry for cutting you out Kanan. I just needed a second to myself._

 _That's okay. I understand._

 _Thanks._

 _Really, get some sleep. I can feel your exhaustion. Have Reddon wake you when everyone is awake._

 _I'm fine._

 _You need a clear mind to fight and having it fogged with sleep is no good, especially when so many lives are riding on this._

 _Okay, okay! Thanks for the added pressure!_

The voice chose that time to rear up again. _You won't save them in time._

 _Shut up!_ Ezra yelled back.

 _Ignore them, Ezra. They're wrong. It was wrong, whatever they said… I'm sorry for this. I'll let the Force help me._

 _What…?_

Kanan channeled sleep through the Force, and within a couple of seconds Ezra was asleep again.

Ezra awoke a final time after Reddon shook him with rising desperation. "Ezra! Ezra! Wake up! Wake _up_! They're here! Everyone is up they're almost here!"

"Wha-!" Ezra bolted up, every sense heightening with adrenaline.

"Reddon, calm down. What's going on, tell me."

"The stormtroopers are almost here! You've gotta get us out!"

"I will. I promise." Ezra looked around at the faces, all looking at him to keep them safe, and tried to look more confident than he felt. "It's gonna be okay." he told them. "I'm gonna get you out… Did any of you kids radio our ship?" He asked before he could forget again.

Blank faces met him, before those faces turned in confusion to the others.

"No…" came the mumbled replies.

Ezra sighed, his stomach fluttering. "That's what I thought."

He reached out with the Force. _Two birds with one stone… it was a trap. They're the ones who radioed us, not the kids._

 _That's what I thought. Be careful, troopers are about to come with the food, and some are coming down from command. I'm in position. As soon as you start fighting I'll create the diversion._

 _Okay. Thanks for the warning._

 _Don't worry kid._ Kanan sucked in a breath. _Troopers are five seconds out… four… three… two…_

The durasteel door slid open, and Ezra steeled himself to face the trooper that came into view.

 _You'll never make it out alive._

 *****until I can torture you next time!****


	7. Fire and Distraction

*******I AM SOOOO SORRY THAT THIS UPDATE TOOK ME SO LONG IT WAS COMPLETELY UNCALLED FOR! WRITERS BLOCK HAD ME IN A FORCE CHOKE! YOU HAVE EVERY REASON TO RUN ME THROUGH WITH LIGHT SABERS! I PROMISE YOU IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN! And Thank you SO MUCH for sticking with me, it means a lot to me*****

Kanan felt a disturbance and knew that the troopers had entered the room where Ezra was. He took a breath, knowing he only had seconds to act now. He gripped Sabine's grenades tighter. The Jedi knew that she wouldn't be happy he'd gone through her stash, but he had more important things to worry about than the wrath of a teenage girl with a paintbrush.

He had the lives of 42 people on his shoulders. Kanan didn't allow himself to think about failing. He counted the seconds and honed into the Force. Waiting. Waiting.

The Force whispered in his ears and drummed in his fingers. _Now. Now is when it happens._

The Jedi threw the grenades, one by one, into the hallway. Within five seconds they detonated, igniting the hallway in flames. The stormtroopers would only have three minutes to get the fire under control if they wanted to maintain atmospheric pressure. If a hole appeared in the ship's frame, especially so close to the gravity system, they would only have a couple of minutes before the gravity system failed, and one more before over half of the air would be sucked out.

Time was already ticking.

He hoped that Ezra got the kids out in time, before that happened. If not, he would have to rely on the stormtroopers to save them.

Ezra's life source brushed against his mind and he allowed him in.

 _What are those alarms?!_

 _You'll see! Just get the kids out!_

 _Okay! Ow!_

 _Are you okay?_

 _Yeah I just got hit by a trooper._

 _Did you forget to duck when he threw a punch?_

Silence met him, but he staved off worry by reminding himself no fear was coming through the Force.

It took more than a minute before Ezra's _Oh no!_ echoed through the Force.

 _What now!_

 _Wall of armor! Literally!_

 _You've gotta be more specific!_

 _How can I be more Force damn specific! There is a wall of stormtroopers coming up on us! I had slam them away!_

 _Then they aren't coming up on you anymore!_

 _Stop arguing with me! I can take care of myself; I've been doing it for seven years!_

 _Yeah and I've been having to save you time and again for two years now!_

 _Well you don't need to!_

 _Yes I do, kid…_ Kanan trailed off as he sensed where his padawan was coming from. _Don't be ashamed to admit it. Everybody needs help once in awhile, especially in life or death situations._

 _Whatever… I just got the kids out of the room. I've gotta talk to them, tell them where to go. I'll be right back._

 _Okay kid._

Kanan began to walk through the halls, trying to get ahead of the smoke. With his distraction, he knew that most of the stormtroopers would be rushing to put out the fire and keeping

Kanan didn't notice the five stormtroopers sneaking up on him before the Force shouted a warning.

Ezra felt it too. _Kanan! Watch out!_

The Jedi spun around, instinctively crossing his saber across his chest. A round of electricity panged off of it, and he spun it to knock one of the bucketheads off balance. Knowing he only had about a minute left, he Force threw the remaining three into each other, where they all were rendered unconscious.

The fire was quickly spreading, the alarm ringing so loud he could feel the vibration of it through the metal.

Kanan gave a whoosh of relief before beginning to run towards his padawan's life source. If he could just make it to him fast enough they stood a chance…

Ezra turned around and looked at the kids as soon as he downed the stormtroopers, half expecting them to have started to cheer in relief at their liberation, or to rush the door, or yell his name (real or fake) and hug him. In fact, none of that happened, which was what threw Ezra so off guard. He looked around the room. The children were all backed against the wall, terrified as ever. Their eyes were wide, some were shaking.

The teen looked at them in puzzlement. "Kids, it's okay now. I'm getting you out of here. Just come with me." He held out his hand.

No one moved.

"Reddon?" He searched out the boy, trying to find him, his familiar face. His eyes were knitted at the brows, creases appearing across his forehead.

"I'm scared!" Came the voice among a forest of limbs.

Ezra looked toward the boy. He had tears rolling down from his eyes. "Reddon…! It's alright. I promise." He spread his arms, kneeling down slightly. "Reddon, look at me, I can feel how scared you are, how scared all of you are, but I swear to you guys that I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I'm going to save you. I'm getting you all out of there. It's almost over. My friend, he's here and he's coming to help."

"What are the alarms!" one of the kids shouted.

"Something that he set off." Ezra lied. "It's a distraction."

"Are we gonna die!" another yelped.

Ezra's mouth dropped open. "No way. No, no one is going to die today." Knowing he needed to calm the kids down if they would have any chance of getting out of there while Kanan was still distracting the stormtroopers, he took a deep breath and reached out to the Force. He felt their signatures in it, all tainted with fear and anxiety and some even with resignation.

 _They expect to die…_ Ezra realized.

Ignoring it, he pushed calm at them first. Their life forces were the first to change, their fear fading, replaced by calm and all the things that followed: peace, relief, joy, bravery. Some children felt it more than others, but it didn't matter. It had an effect on their faces next. The panic slipped off it, the air becoming lighter. Those that were crying dried their tears. The children that were whimpering quieted.

Ezra took a breath. "Come on, let's get you kids out of here." At that, some of the older children began to move forward. Among the kids was Reddon. Ezra looked at him in the eyes. "Reddon, come on. I'm getting you out of here."

The little boy gave a scared smile, but in his eyes was hope, there was happiness, there was trust. Reddon believed with everything he had that Ezra was going to save them.

As the child walked over to Ezra, the teen made a silent vow. He _would_ get the children out, he _would_ save Reddon. He would keep their trust. Failure wasn't an option.

 _You're going to be too late._

 **Yes I did end it like that AGAIN and yes this is slightly unfinished and YES it's probably the shortest chapter I will ever write! I'm sorry for keeping you all on edge!**


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